I wonder if anyone has noticed the absence of aerials on Hitlers bunker, even on quite early photographs there are none visible, and yet in documents there is frequent reference to radio comm from there, so its not just landlines that were used from there.....perhaps someone knows the answer to this puzzle.....

I would be willing to bet that the antennas were there. Keep in mind that the state of the photographic art during the first half of the 1940s. The wires that would have been used are probably invisable against the gray background of the sky.. Radio communication of the Third Reich would be an interesting study.

The antenna structure was installed atop the Chancery Building adjacent to the bunker (if you search enough, you can find photos of the building soon after it was finished, and you can easily see the antenna structures).

In the days before his death, the Chancery Building was bombarded incessantly by the Russians on the ground, and the AAF and RAF from the air. It is entirely within reason to assume what ever was left standing wasn't in too good of a shape, if it existed at all.

I never thought about the antenna system, but I recently purchased a German Army telegraph key. The 'JUNKER KEY' is the absolute cream of the crop. I pretty much use it every time I am on the air. For some reason the Germans packed for storage 1000 of these keys. If you are a CW operator you better get one before they are all bought up.

What I always thought interesting was the lack of much photographic evidence open to the public of that entire bunker system. You see a few photos of it during Hitlers staff meetings etc. Also it was not preserved after the war. The last I heard it was abandoned and water stood in it 3" deep in some places. But if memory serves me the Russians got that part of Berlin and we all know they were much better at destroying things and covering things up than preserving it. Yes a complete look at the radio room and equipment would be Very Interesting!

If you look back at many (if not most) official photos of ships and/or shore installations from the Allied side in WWII, anything that might have given the enemy an inkling of the technical side of how were were doing things was crosshatched out or otherwise censored. Could very well be the Nazis were retouching their photos, but maybe a little more elegantly than we....

Pre WWII minicam (35 mm and down) was not as well developed as medium and large format photography. But the 4X5 through 24X36 INCH negatives of the day were plenty sharp. Most of the 4X5 and 5X7 press cameras had far better acuity than any of todays digital backs for medium format view cameras.

Somewhere, a traveling tent show of the late and unlamented Adolph's memorabilia perhaps, I have seen photographs of the radio equipment in Hitlers bunker. While interesting, it was not state of the art even for the era. The antennas were located on a nearby building, probably to provide some misdirection for enemy bombers.

HI, Be very interested to know where you saw the radio equipment in Hitlers bunker, because myself and a number of friends have searched forever to find a picture of that equipment, perhaps you can let us all know where you saw thos pictures....

Jim, I assume you get the Discovery Channel over there. If you do, you might keep you eye open for a rerun of the 3 part series about the last days of Hitler. In that series, were quite a few photos, and even a couple of movies taken inside the bunker. One of those was a Russian film. The pan is rather fast, but if you have a DVR you can see them a little clearer. You really can't make out what they are, but they do appear "period".

Back in the early 70s, I took a two semester college course on Hitler. I sure could have used the Discovery Channel information then! In spite of the lack of the Internet, I did find several photos of the bunker in various books at the Denver Public Library. Thus, with some searching, you should be able to find what you're looking for. Especially now that it's back to one Germany.

A couple of more things. There are two books out "The Hitler Bunker" and the "Last Days of Hitler". Both of these books contain images of the bunker the day the Russians found it. If memory serves, the communications room is shown.

But there were many marauding P-51's and Yaks at tree top level. I am sure, beside the bombing, they may have played a role in dispaching much, including some antennas. Late in the war allied airpower pretty much had their way over Germany. But looking at the pictures it was pretty well protected by flak (anti aircraft guns) Not a friendly area for fighter planes.But then again, wire can be re-strung quickly.

The sight now, I think...it is beneath a parking lot. The entrace was filled with concrete...or something along those lines.The East Germans were not to eagar to let the public see it. Interesting stuff.JohnB

Jin, back in 1948 or '49 a fellow named, as best I recall, Tucker toured the midwestern US fair circuit with a 20 by 60 foot tent full of stuff he and his buddies had "liberated" from some of Adolph's haunts. There were several uniforms, daggers, sidearms, and the like.

As well as a couple of parade cars Schickelgruber used, a '24 or '25 tourer that had been Hitlers personal property, and so on and so forth. I think that's where I saw at least two pictures of the comms equipment, but I have no clue where that stuff is now. Scattered and possibly gone, I suspect.

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